Doing a Wedding HELP.

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PapaLazarou

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My Grandad gave me a old box brownie camera he had tucked away in his loft for years.
I have never taken a photograph in my life, until I used the brownie last week.
I like the idea of photography so I have decided to become a wedding photographer, I put an add in the local paper and now have 5 Weddings booked. But I need help as I don't know what to do or how to even work the camera.

1 - How much shall I charge for the weddings ?, I was thinking around £700.

2 - Do I need a lens for the box brownie or will it be ok to put a lens from my Grans glasses on it ?.

3 - I here people talk about shutter speeds and F stops, what are they and where can I get them from ?.

4 - Is the box brownie digital or film ?.

5 - I cant see how you fit a flash on the brownie, but you don't need flash for weddings anyway do you ?.

Does this sound familiar ?, I see the same thing all the time on this site.
 
You dont believe this is true do you? :razz:
 
1 £700 should be fine
2 nah, grans glasses should work fine
3 whats shutterspeed and f stop?
4 whats a box brownie?
5 the sun will do that for you

im doing my first wedding tomorrow, i got a canon sureshot 90, it has its own inbuilt flash and auto mode so i can just take pics.
 
I've recently asked about how to do wedding photography.
So i'll take a slight personal insult to this thread.
There is nothing wrong with people asking advice, iirc thats what this site is about isn't it? Or is it only for the pros like your self?

In my case i've been asked by a friends dad to take photos after my mates wedding cause they cant afford a pro like your self to do the photos.

I'd love to be as good as half the people onhere but without asking and trying, how will anyone get there.
 
I bet they will pay £300 for a ten minute limo ride though.
If you don't know what to do you shouldnt be practicing on the most important day of a couples life or should you ?.
 
PapaLazarou said:
My Grandad gave me a old box brownie camera he had tucked away in his loft for years.
I have never taken a photograph in my life, until I used the brownie last week.
I like the idea of photography so I have decided to become a wedding photographer, I put an add in the local paper and now have 5 Weddings booked. But I need help as I don't know what to do or how to even work the camera.

1 - How much shall I charge for the weddings ?, I was thinking around £700.

2 - Do I need a lens for the box brownie or will it be ok to put a lens from my Grans glasses on it ?.

3 - I here people talk about shutter speeds and F stops, what are they and where can I get them from ?.

4 - Is the box brownie digital or film ?.

5 - I cant see how you fit a flash on the brownie, but you don't need flash for weddings anyway do you ?.

Does this sound familiar ?, I see the same thing all the time on this site.
Click to expand...

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm here Papa???

:thinking::thinking::thinking:

Just in case though...

1 - £700 is way too much, think about something more like £15 plus travel at 40p per mile, and add on £4.50 for lunch

2 - the current lens will be fine most of the time, it has a 'zoom' function in that you can run forwards (& backwards too); Granny's glasses are likely to give barrel distortion, so I'd avoid those - also, she may trip and die if you take them so you'd have to factor the funeral cost into your wedding package, which may make you uncompetitive

3 - you don't need f-stops or shutter speeds with a Box Brownie, just flick the lever on the side and remember to wind the film on too to avoid ghosting

4 - there's a hint in my answer to 3 !!!

5 - no you don't need flash for weddings even with an old Box Brownie. For interior shots though, put the camera on a pew, use the 'B' function and ask people to be absolutely still for about 15 secs at a time - you'll be fine

Can I have a copy of your advert, cos it's obviously well written

Good luck with your newfound business, and don't forget to post some shots on here too

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

DD

PS - isn't being a Wedding tog bloody easy!
 
RE No.5

Either velcro a candle with a piece of black card in front of it to your head and remove card as necessary or

Leave flies undone and expose as required.

N.B. option 2 may result in leaving the wedding before you get your shots.
 
No one should clearly make any form of advance into any kind of photography, in fact, anyone that's an amateur should now sell all of their gear and proceed to buy a compact that takes crap pictures.

PL, It's not really your call on whether someone should be covering a wedding is it? And what the bride & groom decide they want to spend their money on is also down to them, isn't it.

Do you feel threatened by these so called amateurs doing weddings? I don't understand why it's such an issue for you, if the b&g are happy with an "amateur" doing their photos, what does it matter?

If a couple come to you to "fix" their photos, just say no, sorry I can't help... Don't get such a bee in your bonnet about it... relax, you'll live longer ;)

EDIT: Never done a wedding, not sure I ever will
 
PapaLazarou said:
My Grandad gave me a old box brownie camera he had tucked away in his loft for years.
I have never taken a photograph in my life, until I used the brownie last week.
I like the idea of photography so I have decided to become a wedding photographer, I put an add in the local paper and now have 5 Weddings booked. But I need help as I don't know what to do or how to even work the camera.

1 - How much shall I charge for the weddings ?, I was thinking around £700.

2 - Do I need a lens for the box brownie or will it be ok to put a lens from my Grans glasses on it ?.

3 - I here people talk about shutter speeds and F stops, what are they and where can I get them from ?.

4 - Is the box brownie digital or film ?.

5 - I cant see how you fit a flash on the brownie, but you don't need flash for weddings anyway do you ?.

Does this sound familiar ?, I see the same thing all the time on this site.
Click to expand...

Big deal.....its the people with balls that get places and you started somewhere as well, besides you can't learn without trying so cut them some slack....:bonk: besides those 5 booked weddings won't detract from your business of a gazillion turned down bookings
 
vecsri, i do not think it was aimed at anyone in particular. what i think he is getting at, is people who dont know how to use there camera(other than auto), without the relevant kit and general knowhow on the very basics of photography. they then proceed to charge the customer for. ok, they might manage to pull off some amazing shots, but if not the customer will not be happy and brings the whole industry down. a lot of people dont realise how demanding a wedding is, especially if your faithful camera dies right before the all important formal shots.

What would you do? hold your hands up and say sorry, cameras dead? pull out your 2nd backup cam? start swearing loudly while throwing the camera on the floor? run to the local jessops and spend the £1500 for a replacement to get the shoot?


now i am not a pro, and know that sometimes spending the money on a tog isnt always possible.
 
hypnotic said:
I would love to be a full time wedding photographer but dont think i could stibk my nose that far in the air.
Click to expand...
:lol:

I dont think its full time wedding photographers per se.............. just a certain few! :shake:


I can see both sides of the story here though.

We do all need to start somewhere and the learners should be given a break without insulting comments.
But on the other hand, it IS someone's very special day, and I think all the learners should do a lot of assisting and learning at other weddings before taking off on their own. For the wedding couple's sake at least.
 
Put in another ad in the paper/local photography club/university

£500 pay for wedding photographers wanted, pocket £1000 profit all to yourself and not have to lift a finger :p
 
I've partake in a few wedding photography courses in the last year or so and shot maybe 5 weddings with some really nice feedback from all...

One of the weddings I shot was in conjunction with a 'Pro' who I found disorganised and downright rubbish, that 'pro' tog was charging £1300... When the photos were shown to the Bride and Groom, they got their money back from the Pro and took mine instead..

To some people photos are NOT the be all and end all of the wedding, despite what you may think... Everyone on here like trying new genres, I for one, and I came to this forum because of the lack of hostility and friendliness of all the togs. It's posts like this that really get my back up.

:razz::razz::razz:
 
I can understand the pique to be honest. I wrote a post about practical photography publishing an article where the whole tone was that you can pop into Jessops, pick up a dslr, perhaps one slightly faster lens, and instantly be equipped to shoot a wedding. Unfortunately they then illustrated their item with shots taken using a 70-200mm f2.8 which we should all know by now cost a little bit more!

I wrote to the editor at PP who, although very polite, was quite OK with encouraging a new raft of would be wedding togs, all armed with a kit lens and a stepladder.

Of course I realise that, for some, the £1500 album is going to be a non starter and the market does seem to suggest that there is a place for a more informal (and a lot cheaper) way of recording the big day and that is sometimes provided by a family member.

The danger is, however, that the degradation of the quality of the end product will lead to a situation where the good pro's can no longer afford to make their living from it and so the option of actually having a quality product at all is lost to everyone.

I did read some good advice in a bridal mag that said you should budget 1/3 of your total wedding cost for a quality photographer but in the current economic climate, that seems to be something that fewer people are able to do. Perhaps some of our esteemed pros could comment on that?
 
I don,t feel threatened at all, I have plenty of work.
But I am sick of people who don't know what to do playing around at wedding photographers. If you know how to work a camera and understand photography then fine. But I see people who don't even understand the basics playing at being a wedding photographer. I get so many calls a year from couples who have had there wedding done by these kind of people, crying because there pics are crap.Then they ask me can you please work on the pictures and give them a pro look, and I have to say if you want pro looking pictures then why didn't you get a pro.
 
Yes... i think the word PRO can be very misleading!

It sounds like you are very good at what you do......but it could in fact be used to say that you have done many weddings..........rubbishly!!! (the word YOU here means ONE... not anyone in particular!)


I have only done 3 weddings and the b&g are always happy with their results. The first one was in a castle and they had to choose 60 large prints (inclusive) and ended up choosing 100.. then a month later wanted another 50 large in black and white.

I think the only way to go about this is to suggest that people who are starting out... and assisting etc, show their shots to friends, or on here and get a proper critique and see if they really are acceptable shots in other photographers opinions.

If not.. then they need to practise until they are.

You dont have to assist for 30 years.. but we all have to start somewhere. :thumbs:
 
I DO understand PL, but I pride myself on my ability to shoot, the weddings I have done have been Friends and Family which like I said went very well.

I want to be able to ask the odd question on here as I don't know everything, it's just now I feel that I'm a bit alienated!

I look at other people for inspiration as well, such as these two togs who's pictures I could look at for hours on end:
http://www.CharlotteGeary.com
and
WeddingHack
 
I'm a professional motorcycle mechanic of over 25 years ...

But I could assume quite accurately that most of you consider vehicle mechanics as untrustworthy and likely rip you off.

How will you feel in the future if your photography profession (and mine in the future I hope) is considered the same way?


Just stirring . ;) :D
 
I think the point is here-fair play. If someone is asking a few questions to reinforce their already good knowledge of photography. Like flash advise or what lens is preferred then fine.

but if someone is asking the basics of photography then as stated clearly they shouldnt be trying wedding photography.

There is a line isnt there-between advanced amatuer and I just picked up my first dslr?

By the way whats a wedding ? lol
 
I bet they will pay £300 for a ten minute limo ride though.
If you don't know what to do you shouldnt be practicing on the most important day of a couples life or should you ?.
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Is this thread about amatures doing weddings? or couples not paying your wages? Cause i'm quite unsure about it.

They're not bothered massivly about pictures, and they asked me. You think i shouldn't do it? Fair enough.

"Fletch" said:
What would you do? hold your hands up and say sorry, cameras dead? pull out your 2nd backup cam? start swearing loudly while throwing the camera on the floor? run to the local Jessops and spend the £1500 for a replacement to get the shoot?
Click to expand...
I'd pull my second body out.
 
Hmmm... I took it as a joke, hence a joke in response

Didn't imagine it'd get people's backs up so much, nor throw such venom back at Papa either

Chill out everyone be :):):)



Amateurs will always be doing 'Pro' work, and a great many will be great at it too

I don't seriously think anyone considering a "Mate with a camera" is trying to save £500, £1,000 or more by avoiding a Pro's rates, more likely they haven't got that £500+ spare to start with; as such, the amateur isn't competition for most Pros anyway as the couple weren't actually in the market for a Pro

People who come to see me clearly compare my work/pricing with other Pros locally, they are not saying "We're trying to choose between you & uncle Syd"

So is TP the right place to ask such questions..? Yes, I think it is - that way the couple in question may well get a better set of prints/album than if those questions hadn't been asked, and they were never going to be my (or your) paying clients anyway

So chill :)

DD
 
I was recently told about a so called photographer that started shooting a wedding and then ten minutes into it said I cant do this and p@ss@d off home. He was a amatuer trying to earn a few ££ to pay for his gear. He left a not very happy couple but hey they got what they paid for.
 
YEO: chill out, if you know how to use your gear and have an understanding of photography then thats fine.
 
PapaLazarou said:
I was recently told about a so called photographer that started shooting a wedding and then ten minutes into it said I cant do this and p@ss@d off home. He was a amatuer trying to earn a few ££ to pay for his gear. He left a very happy couple but hey they got what they paid for.
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Well thats just shocking, peopel liek that **** me off. But better he did that then put their hopes into something they really regret i suppose?
 
Let us try to take a simplistic view here.

A few people from around the U.K have posted they are doing a mates wedding.

They are doing this because there is no budget for a Professional Photographer.

This means it is not a lost job for a professional as there was no possibility of getting the job unless they did it all for nothing...not going to happen.

The B&G unless completely stupid must realise their expectation should be lower and the friend with a camera hopefully tells them this to.

The amateur is unlikely to do the mates wedding and go "Great now I'm a pro too" unless he is stupid.

So no work has been lost by the pro and 2 people might just get something that helps remember the day.

Is that not reasonable
 
PsiFox said:
Let us try to take a simplistic view here.

A few people from around the U.K have posted they are doing a mates wedding.

They are doing this because there is no budget for a Professional Photographer.

This means it is not a lost job for a professional as there was no possibility of getting the job unless they did it all for nothing...not going to happen.

The B&G unless completely stupid must realise their expectation should be lower and the friend with a camera hopefully tells them this to.

The amateur is unlikely to do the mates wedding and go "Great now I'm a pro too" unless he is stupid.

So no work has been lost by the pro and 2 people might just get something that helps remember the day.

Is that not reasonable
Click to expand...

Exactly!! :thumbs:
 
There have been people who have bought a DSLR and lens, have no basic understanding.................sod it, I can`t be bothered repeating myself, I know where the OP is coming from.
 
I guess as long as they are only doing it for friends and the friends know their capabilities then thats fine.. they can keep it between themselves.

It only becomes a problem when they advertise for business etc etc. and they have no knowledge of how a dslr works, or flash or whatever.

Then, I agree!
 
Janice said:
I guess as long as they are only doing it for friends and the friends know their capabilities then thats fine.. they can keep it between themselves.

It only becomes a problem when they advertise for business etc etc. and they have no knowledge of how a dslr works, or flash or whatever.

Then, I agree!
Click to expand...

I'd also agree with this :)
 
fracster said:
There have been people who have bought a DSLR and lens, have no basic understanding.................sod it, I can`t be bothered repeating myself, I know where the OP is coming from.
Click to expand...

But that is a problem for the B&G and the amateur not the pro.
I also don't believe that if they do a bad job it reflects badly on pro wedding togs as everyone knows they were done by a mate.

It was not going to be a pro job in the first place.
 
PapaLazarou, can you suggest how newbies should go about becoming a Wedding Photographer.
 
If the couple are on a budget then they should spend less on things like bunting and limos and use what they save for a photographer. They dont need to spend £1000 on a pro photographer. The pictures are the only thing they will have left after the wedding, the food is gone the limo is gone and all they have left are a few shots that unkle fester took. It's these amateurs who are messing up peoples weddings and pushing up some pro prices.

Just how many of you would have done a wedding in the days of film and a lightmeter ?.
Not many I can tell you.
 
PapaLazarou said:
If the couple are on a budget then they should spend less on things like bunting and limos and use what they save for a photographer. They dont need to spend £1000 on a pro photographer. The pictures are the only thing they will have left after the wedding, the food is gone the limo is gone and all they have left are a few shots that unkle fester took. It's these amateurs who are messing up peoples weddings and pushing up some pro prices.

Just how many of you would have done a wedding in the days of film and a lightmeter ?.
Not many I can tell you.
Click to expand...


Surely what they spend the money on is up to them?

It is their day not yours

Are you a wedding planner or a photographer?:)
 
Gonna add to PL and say that along with a basic understanding of the camera, using Manual mode is helpful then shadowing a wedding tog for some weddings is invaluable.
 
PapaLazarou said:
If the couple are on a budget then they should spend less on things like bunting and limos and use what they save for a photographer. They dont need to spend £1000 on a pro photographer. The pictures are the only thing they will have left after the wedding, the food is gone the limo is gone and all they have left are a few shots that unkle fester took. It's these amateurs who are messing up peoples weddings and pushing up some pro prices.

Just how many of you would have done a wedding in the days of film and a lightmeter ?.
Not many I can tell you.
Click to expand...

what you have to understand is that B&G may just have their own set of priorities and budget
while you think that having a pro tog is top of the list, they may have other ideas
I sympathise with the "got a camera for Christmas - now I can do weddings - what's an f-stop" syndrome
but some people are just asking for advice, and those that have more information/experience ought to be able to share it
if you can't/don't want to share it, then it would be polite to keep quiet
IMHO
 
In what context?
 
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